Malia and Sasha Obama will attend Sidwell Friends School

Barack and Michelle Obama will send their daughters to the private Sidwell Friends School when the family moves into the White House in January.

12:07AM GMT 22 Nov 2008

The decision, announced Friday afternoon, came after the girls, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, visited Sidwell and Georgetown Day School and sat in on classes this week.

"A number of great schools were considered," said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Mrs Obama's spokeswoman. "In the end, the Obamas selected the school that was the best fit for what their daughters need right now.

Sidwell Friends, a Quaker school in northwest Washington, has just over 1,000 students. Tuition for the primary school is $28,442 (£19,000), and for secondary school is $29,442.

By choosing this school, they will be following in the steps of Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, who has just accepted the role of Secretary of State in Mr Obama's administration.

The grandchildren of Vice-President-elect Joe Biden also attend Sidwell. In fact, Malia told her parents she wanted to attend the school because of her friendship with one of the grandchildren, according to The Washington Post.